


going, going, gone

by radregeneration



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 3, Fallout 4
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Ghouls, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Not Canon Compliant, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Platonic Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:35:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25465612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/radregeneration/pseuds/radregeneration
Summary: caedmon tells piper she's going ghoul.
Relationships: Lone Wanderer & Piper Wright
Comments: 4
Kudos: 4





	going, going, gone

glass crunched under boots as the lone wanderer and the reporter trekked further into the metro station, chasing rumors of a group of raiders who kidnapped a farmers daughter. the lights flickered and dust floated through the air; the stale smell of decayed flesh and tingle of radiation indicated the presence of feral ghouls. the lone wanderer, a ghoul himself, preferred not to kill ferals but did when traveling with smoothskins like piper. he clicked the safety off his plasma rifle.

"heads up. ferals around."

piper snorted, but turned the safety off her 9mm. "what, do you have a sixth sense for 'em? a telepathic connection, huh, caed?"

caedmon rolled his eyes and pushed her a bit, in good nature. "nah, just feel the rads."

she nodded in response and trained her eyes ahead, but smiled still. 

ghouls shifted in from where they slept, hearing the sound of footsteps. one or two sat up enough to sniff the air, and only smelled a familiar rotten odor; content there was no threat, they huffed and snorted to the others and laid back down. caedmon and piper cautiously crept past the still bodies of the ghouls, not firing unless necessary.

and it wasn't. 

caedmon rolled his shoulders and piper heaved a sigh of relief after they were twenty feet away from the ghouls. piper chuckled a little bit, "weird day for 'em? or maybe they thought you were one of 'em?"

"yeah, they don't bother me unless i bother them." caedmon replied, but he bit the inside of his cheek. he knew from experience that ferals didn't bother other ghouls and smoothskins going. after testing an experimental radiation drug, ferals never bothered him unless he was with a smoothskin, or a robot, or dogmeat. anyone that wasn't a ghoul. "so.."

"so?" piper raised an eyebrow while she holstered her pistol.

"so.. you live in diamond city but you travel with a zombie like me?" he tried to joke, but it fell flat. "is it my charming personality or are you, i don't know, planning a pro ghoul piece to piss off mcdonough?"

"now that you mention it.." she laughed anyways. "nah, you're just a decent person, better than your brother. and most diamond city residents, really. and i guess i never left because it's home, you know? that's why i criticize her, because i want her to be better. i guess ghouls made it better, right?"

"i don't know, i wasn't there when the ghouls were," he said after a few beats. with a bit of thought, he continued. "so ghouls are cool?"

"yeah, they are. i mean, not all of them, but plenty of humans-"

"-smoothskins, i'm still human under these scars-"

"uh, smoothskins are assholes. ghouls are still human, like you said, and there's good ghouls and bad ghouls. plenty of good synths and bad synths too." she illustrated her point awkwardly but caedmon nodded.

"you want to know something i learned when i was going ghoul?"

"sure, maybe i'll put it in my pro ghoul piece." she said with a sincere smile.

caedmon laughed. "you do that. um," he looked up at the ceiling then continued, "when i was still mostly, for lack of a better word, smooth, but i was still sick. i could walk into a cave or metro full of ferals and they wouldn't bat an eye. they just.. left me alone."

caedmon didn't expect piper to stop in her tracks. he barely heard her say, "caedmon.. am i going ghoul?"

"yeah, i.. i think so." he stopped and turned to face her. in an attempted act of comfort, he placed his hands on her shoulders and squeezed lightly. "it's not a bad thing. maybe you can publish that ghoul piece and change the city's mind, yeah?"

"yeah." she nodded, her eyes vacant. she began to back up until she hit the wall of the tunnel. then she slid down and hit the floor. caedmon moved to sit next to her, reaching out to touch her but unsure.

"hey, pipes?" he whispered, as if soothing a startled animal. "come on, it's okay."

she sniffed, holding back tears. she took his hand in hers and stared at it intensely, her thumb smoothing over the scarred texture of his palm. "no, it's not!"

"no, no, it is." he tried. "you said it yourself, ghouls are cool, right?"

"yeah, yeah, until i'm kicked out of the jewel and my baby sister is left alone. and they treat like shit because her fuck up of a sister couldn't protect her, because i was too busy investigating the children of god damn atom and getting sick to be there for her!" piper was crying now, holding onto caedmon's hands as her body shook with her sobs.

"piper. it's not your fault this is happening, okay? and you.. we can move you and nat to sanctuary before you're kicked out, yeah? and you can publish that piece, convince everyone ghouls are cool." he tried as he rubbed his thumb in circles over her palm, maybe if she got used to ghoul skin the sooner the better? at least caedmon had ghoul friends when he was going, but piper didn't seem to have any besides him.

"i.. really? i mean, sanctuary is for like, refugees, right? not girls from diamond city with a paper?" she tried to smile, but it didn't meet her watery eyes.

"i mean, not to make you feel worse but, i think you would qualify for asylum.."

"i guess. i think nat wouldn't mind a change in scenery, i could tell her it's temporary.." piper looked down as she slid further down the wall, ignoring her coat catching on jagged metal.

"no," he shook his head and continued, "you have to tell her the truth. trust me, it's better you know now before your skin starts falling off and it's better she knows before she sees that."

"yeah.. you're right," she sighed and rubbed her teary eyes. "will, will you help me? be there for it, tell her what's going on? she's.. she's never even really met a ghoul."

"yeah. i will. but really she's never met a ghoul? how old is she?"

"fourteen. she's lived in diamond city for twelve, but.. hasn't seen a ghoul in five years"

"i didn't meet one until i was nineteen and well.."

piper laughed at that.

"i think she'll adjust fine. you will, too." caedmon squeezed piper's hand, moving to stand up and taking her with him. he carefully took the pieces of metal out of her coat, smoothing down the new scratches.

"i hope so." piper bit her lip and glanced at the faraway ghouls, then turned to follow after the lone wanderer.


End file.
